Pulmonary Function Test and Some Cardiovascular Parameters Changes of Healthy Young Women During Different Pregnancy Trimesters

Abstract Background: Pregnancy results in a variety of physiological modifications that are accompanied by hormonal changes, and respiratory system may be one of these modifications. Cardiovascular system of women also undergoes several marked physiological and anatomical changes during gestational period. Objective: The purpose of this study is to detect the changes that may occur in the most important test of lung functions throughout pregnancy trimesters among healthy women besides the alterations in some cardiovascular parameters including arterial blood pressure and heart rate (HR). Materials and Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 72 healthy nonpregnant women and 195 healthy pregnant women of different trimesters who used to attend a private clinic for antenatal care were involved. Respiratory function was assessed by measuring pulmonary function tests including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at the first second of expiration (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1%), using medical spirometer. The cardiovascular parameters were also measured for all participants. Results: Categorized groups based on the three trimesters were matching in age, height, and health status, revealed significant variations ( P < 0.05) in the tests of pulmonary function when compared to control. Moreover, the tests of respiratory function were highly affected in the third trimester. There were no significant differences in arterial blood pressure and HR ( P > 0.05) between pregnant women in different trimesters of pregnancy and the control group. Conclusion: In pregnancy, pulmonary function tests were significantly affected throughout the different trimesters. The third trimester revealed highly significant changes. These changes were attributed to the anatomical and physiological events that may accompany the pregnancy event in healthy cases. However, the physiological events may not work in isolation from the psychological effects that exacerbate the negative impact on lung function. No significant remarkable changes were observed in the arterial blood pressure and HR during the three trimesters of pregnancy.